Bay Area Buzz 12/6: Warriors Have It Together; Kaepernick vs. Wilson; DeMarcus Cousins Comments No Biggie
By Phil Watson
November 14, 2013; Oakland, CA, USA; Golden State Warriors small forward Andre Iguodala (9, left) celebrates with shooting guard Kent Bazemore (20, center) and power forward Marreese Speights (5, right) after the game against the Oklahoma City Thunder at Oracle Arena. The Warriors defeated the Thunder 116-115. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
"If Hollywood makes a movie about the Warriors, it will be so G-rated and corny that the only team in the league that will go see it will be the Warriors.I’m not saying these fellows are not tough guys and gritty competitors. But from what I gather, the Warriors aren’t exactly the most sinister, edgy team in sports. In terms of camaraderie and fun, they’re more like a college team. Maybe a CYO team. Pizza, anyone?This is a tight group. Before every game, before you see the Warriors charge onto the court for layups, they huddle in a tunnel under the stands. Kent Bazemore, the NBA’s foremost cheerleader, stands in the middle of the circle. He yells, “We’re all we’ve got!”The other Warriors respond in chorus, “We’re all we need!”The shout goes back and forth several times, until your Warriors are as high as kids buzzed on root beer.The little ceremony can be traced back two seasons, to then-rookie NBA coach Mark Jackson and his staff coming up with a motto, “Just us.” Bazemore, with his enthusiasm unknown to mankind, took the concept higher.Corny? Probably, but the Warriors don’t care how they look to the outside world. They’re all they need."
–Scott Ostler, San Francisco Chronicle
The Contrasting Styles Of Russell Wilson, Colin Kaepernick
"Among all that’s been said or written about Sunday’s much-anticipated 49ers-Seahawks interface, I have not yet seen this sentiment:It should be a hella fun football game.The usual rivalry stuff will be afoot, including two emotional coaches and adrenaline-gorged teams. But a true highlight should be another matchup of two ascending, young NFL quarterbacks: Colin Kaepernick of the 49ers and Russell Wilson of Seattle. Given each man’s skill set, we could be witnessing the early exploits in a long-running series of classic confrontations, the future version of Brady vs. Manning. That’s especially fun to contemplate.Of course, with Kaepernick and Wilson, one of the two seems to be having far more fun, period.“Seems” could be the key word here. For all I know, Kaepernick goes home from work every night and laughs it up by exchanging knock-knock jokes with his neighbors over hot cocoa and graham crackers. But you’d never know it from his weekly sessions with the 49ers media contingent, when Kaepernick is invariably polite but relentlessly terse — and just the opposite of Seattle’s Wilson.Example? The other day, both men were asked to comment on each other’s talents and whether they had similar playing styles. Both answers were transcribed in their entirety.This was Kaepernick on Wilson: “I haven’t watched enough of him to really say. But he goes out, he makes plays for his team.”This was Wilson on Kaepernick: “Well, Colin is a tremendous person and player. First of all, he’s a great athlete. He can make all the throws. He can run extremely well. He’s a smart kid, too. It’s one of those things where, I hope to play against him for a long time. Hopefully, I’m playing for the Seahawks for a really long time, and hopefully he’s playing for the 49ers for a really long time. I have a lot of respect for his game.”"
–Mark Purdy, San Jose Mercury News
DeMarcus Cousins Comments Blown Way Out Of Proportion
"OK, so this DeMarcus Cousins/Derrick Rose situation has been blown way out of proportion. The whole incident began late Tuesday when I approached Cousins, who was seated alone in the locker room after missing the Kings-Thunder game with a sore ankle, and asked if he planned to play Friday against the Lakers.We were having a casual conversation; this wasn’t an interview. I mentioned that Kobe Bryant was expected to return following an eight-month recovery from Achilles surgery, adding another layer to an always entertaining rivalry. Cousins laughed.“Kobe’s not the story,” he joked. “The big story is my return. Maybe I’ll get a commercial out of it.”We chatted a few more minutes …. about Kobe Bryant and the Lakers. Derrick Rose was never mentioned. If anything, I interpreted Cousins’ comments as a humorous reference to the number of professional athletes (including Robert Griffin III) who through the years have used their comebacks as themes for their commercials."
–Ailene Voisin, Sacramento Bee